Friday, 16 May 2014

Eligibility: Contest does not seem to have any geographical restrictions (may be subject to the winner's ability to receive and use PayPal and/or Amazon products in his/her locale).

Ends: 27 May 2014

Prize(s): The author is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card and two print copies of Saying Goodbye, Love Is Learning To Say Goodbye.

Entry method: Rafflecopter form + follow instructions.

There is also a GoodReads giveaway for 2 print copies of Saying Goodbye, Love Is Learning To Say Goodbye. Open to residents of the US/CANADA/UK/AU. Ends 28 May 2014. See the GoodReads giveaway widget below.

What is love? Is it a possession, something to confine and put on display? Is it declarations for the whole world to hear, or is it a precious space within the heart?

After a tragic event in which agents and parents keep them apart, Frankie and Alex maintain a long distance love affair throughout the turbulent Sixties, away from the prying eyes of the press and the fans. Separated, their love breeds strength to overcome obstacles that once held them down. Individually, they blossom creatively and their talents soar to new heights. Within the secrecy of their relationship, they learn greater lessons of love, lessons not defined by society, but by the heart and the soul.

A true lover knows what the other needs and will often make great personal sacrifices for the well-being of their lover. Sometimes the strength of love is being able to say goodbye.

Frankie couldn’t help it; she was so excited to be alone with him. “So, how was your incredible and inspiring trip?”

Alex sat down across the table from her with a bowl of fruit loops and a cup of tea. “Where to start? Australia was out of this world. Heard some incredible Aborigine music, and then a mad Aussie got me wasted. India was a spiritual hell hole, and I spent most of my time with the chattiest of Hindus, but a real nice fellow. South Africa, my guide, Cebo, was a crazier driver than you.”

“Crazier than you?” Frankie asked with a smirk.

“Crazier than you,” Alex restated strongly and laughed. “I jammed with a Zulu band, and they gave me the name Luyanda.”

“Sounds like a girl’s name,” said Frankie.

“Shut up. It’s very manly. It means love to grow,” he said.

Frankie looked at Alex curiously. “Love to grow? Your love is still growing?”

“Yes, apparently I am blossoming, like a budding flower,” he said with a smile and batting of his eye lashes.

“Girl,” teased Frankie.

Alex playfully kicked Frankie under the table. “Smarty,” he said and munched on a heaping spoonful of Fruit Loops. “Peru was a bit sad.”

“Why was Peru sad?” questioned Frankie with a mouthful of cornflakes.

“I saw this young man play guitar. He reminded me of myself years ago, but untouched and not jaded. His soul and his playing were pure. Not only have I lost that, I’m afraid I never had that. It made me think my entire life has been a waste.” He gazed at Frankie. “What do you see when you see meplay?”

Frankie sat back in her chair, thought for a moment and said, “Myself.”

The answer stunned Alex. “You see you?”

Curling her knees to her chest Frankie rocked forward. “Yes. I see you in me. I feel you in me. I feel your nervousness and anxiety. I feel what you play. It touches me, and I understand it all.” She could tell by Alex’s expression that her words made an impact, and she continued. “Alex, you‘re very talented. You need to start believing in yourself. You have traveled the world to discover music, but you don’t realize music has been inside you the whole time.”

Alex laughed. “Leave it to Frankie Freud to figure me out.”

“I’m going to start charging you,” she teased.

“Well, in that case, I do have a present for you.” said Alex and reached for his bag. “Check this out.” He pulled out the boomerang clappers and slapped them together. “Boomerangs as musical instrument, cool ‘eh?”

Frankie leaped from her seat and grabbed the boomerangs from his hands. “Wow! Are these for me?” she asked excitedly and danced around the kitchen wildly clapping the boomerangs.

Alex tugged the boomerangs from her hands. “No, they’re for me.”

“So I don’t get boomerang clappers,” she said with a pout.

“No, I have something else for you,” he said sternly.

He pulled out two jewelry boxes and rattled them both to hear the contents of what was inside. “Here, this is for you,” he said handing Frankie one of the boxes.

“Who is the other one for?” she asked.

“Sarah,” Alex replied flatly.

Frankie didn’t respond; she suspected the answer. She carefully unwrapped the paper and unfolded the tissue paper to find a beaded design hanging from a safety pin like ribbon. She glanced at Alex curiously.

“It is a Zulu love letter. I made it for you on the plane to Peru, spilled beads all over the cabin floor. Anyway, the bead colors tell the story of love,” explained Alex.

“What does it say?” asked Frankie.

Alex patted his lap and Frankie joined him. He pointed to each bead and explained, “The black beads mean heartache, the turquoise means I lose hope you will marry me, the red means longing and the green is jealousy.”

“Doesn’t sound like such a nice love letter,” said Frankie.

“But you see it’s all surrounded by the white beads that mean hope and the brown beads is like giving new life,” explained Alex. He put his arm around her waist. “The letter as a whole reads, despite all the heartache, impatience, longing and jealousy. I have hope that we will have a new life together.”

Meet The Author

About Mahima:

Mahima Martel’s main focus in writing is love within drama, or dramatic love. She is fascinated by the human condition and what drives people to do what they do. Mostly, she found it is love, or lack of love that motivates people, whether it is to inspire to greatness, or to the depth of depravity.

Her first published book, The Insurrectionist tells the story through the eyes of a terrorist. The Saying Goodbye series looks deeply into a long standing celebrity love affair undiscovered by gossip columns and tabloid press. It asks the questions, “What really goes on behind the scenes of celebrity relationships and the fan stories we all love to hear about.

Mahima Martel is a news junkie and loves researching and digging deeper into many news and historical stories.